Background
Gottschalk, Louis Moreau was born on May 8, 1829 in New Orleans. Son of Edward and Aimee Marie (de Brusle) G. Made piano debut at Salle Pleyel, Paris, France, April 1845.
(Disc 2 of this new collection, the solo piano pieces, has...)
Disc 2 of this new collection, the solo piano pieces, has been doing good service for well over a decade. Marks plays a good variety of Gottschalk music, sparkles in the virtuoso pieces, and even manages to keep a straight face when he plays sentimental tripe like "The Last Hope" and "The Dying Poet." As the only important composer produced by the U.S. in the 19th century, Gottschalk still deserves our attention, and his folk-influenced pieces are still fun to hear. Oddly, the four-hand piano recording is inferior to the solo piano disc; it sounds thin and shrill, evidently not the pianists' fault since Marks plays with beautiful tone in his solo disc. Also, more of this music comes from Gottschalk's sentimental salon style, making the program a bit less attractive. But there is still a lot of fun to be had, especially in the concluding "Grande Tarantelle." So, if you regard disc 1 as a free bonus and disc 2 as the real matter, you're definitely getting your money's worth here. --Leslie Gerber
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000042NZT/?tag=2022091-20
(With his idiomatic and graceful style, pianist Philip Mar...)
With his idiomatic and graceful style, pianist Philip Martin has established himself as the foremost exponent of Gottschalk. This music requires an impeccable technique matched with élan and joie de vivre for its most effective execution. The composer s music was hugely popular during his lifetime and his works display a real melodic charm and a great sense of fun. Each of the eight discs in Martin s extensive Gottschalk series has received wide acclaim and left pianophiles eagerly awaiting the next issue. The complete set is now available elegantly packaged for a special price.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005IQXV4S/?tag=2022091-20
Gottschalk, Louis Moreau was born on May 8, 1829 in New Orleans. Son of Edward and Aimee Marie (de Brusle) G. Made piano debut at Salle Pleyel, Paris, France, April 1845.
Made piano debut at Salle Pleyel, Paris, France, April Played concert series with Hector Berlioz at Italian Opera, 1846-1847. Played for Queen of Spain, November 1851 who conferred on him Order of Isabella the Catholic (1851).
Organizer large festival in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 1869.
(With his idiomatic and graceful style, pianist Philip Mar...)
(Disc 2 of this new collection, the solo piano pieces, has...)